"GW Team Builder" - the tool for Guild Wars team players

Latest News

2009-Mar-11

Version 1.2.1 of the GW Team Builder is ready and
available for download! It fixes some problems
with the loading of older build files and the export of GW templates in
version 1.2.0-rc1.

2009-Mar-08

As many of the servers that were started so far had the problem that their configured port (default: 9924) was blocked by incorrect firewall or router settings,
I decided to add a new check to the server software. The new version (1.2.981) now checks (in co-operation with the tracker) if the configured port can actually be
reached from the outside. If it isn't, the server software will refuse to run. With this new feature, all servers that now appear on the list should be actually
reachable. The old version (1.2.980) will no longer be accepted by the tracker.

2009-Mar-08

It is done - the server software for the GW Team Builder is ready for public use and is now available for download!
Now it's possible for everyone to run a GW Team Builder server!

The installation is simple: Unpack the zip file to a destination of your choice, enter your own settings into the "conf/gwserver.conf" file and then the server is ready to run.
As the software is written in Java, it can run on Linux, Windows, and many other operating systems. The only requirement is an installed Java runtime (version 5 or higher).
When running it from a Linux/Unix shell, using a software like "screen" is recommended so the TB server keeps running when you log off.

The Team Builder server automatically connects to the tracker and appears in the server list when the startup was successful. Of course, the configured
port must be reachable from the internet - the tracker does not test this on its own.

To make the server software easy to use, I have added a browser-based admin interface.
While quite simple visually, it contains the most important features you need to control the server.
To access it, enter the IP adress of the server, followed by a colon and the configured admin port into your browser (for example, http://123.123.123.123:9999).
A login screen should appear where you can enter your configured password to reach the admin area.

A note regarding running the software behind a cable or DSL router, as this might cause some confusion: If you run the server software on computer behind
the same router that you use to surf the web, you will not be able yourself to connect to the server. This is not a limitation of the GW Team Builder server,
but of the way how routers share an internet connection among several computers (called NAT).
People on the "outside" of the router, e.g. on a different internet connection, should be able to connect to it normally, as long as you have
configured an appropriate port forwarding.

In summary: The simplest way to run the server software is to put it where it feels at home - on a server ;-).

2009-Feb-28

The first test release of the new GW Team Builder, 1.2.0-RC1 is now available for download!
The new version contains an updated skill database, plus several other changes. Most of them were already announced in the news below - a full
list will be posted with the first "final" release. Enjoy!

2009-Feb-22

Good news for all Team Builder users: A new version will be out very soon!

The most obvious update will be a fresh, up-to-date skill database. The program can now also distinguish between PvP and PvE versions of skills, with options to filter for each of them.

But another change is even more important: With the new version, the restriction to a single online server is gone. When the transition is complete, everybody can download the server software and run their own Team Builder server. When started, each server registers itself with a central tracker (like a "master server" in online games). Inside the Team Builder, a list of available servers is displayed, where you can connect with a single mouse click.

On top of that, some visual parts of the graphical user interface have been improved.

2008-Mar-24

A new GW Team Builder release (1.1.3) is available, which adapts the skill database to the latest in-game changes.

2007-Oct-14

Version 1.1.0 of the GW Team Builder is released! Head for the download page and get it!

2007-Oct-13

The last days have been pretty busy, so I didn't find much time to work on the Team Builder. However, I hope to get the 1.1.0 release finished this weekend. There's a lot of details involved in such a release, but I'm getting close. The server software still needs some adaptations, and the whole thing must be tested again before I release it to the world.

In other news... I just finished assembling the "final" skill database for the release a few days ago, and what happens? Arena.Net fields another balance update! So much for "the skill database is ready"...

On the positive side, I'm very close to having a fully automated process for building the Team Builder database from the English and German wikis. The last processing steps are still being tested, but if no new problems arise, the hassle of building a skill database is reduced quite a bit. (At least if all the skill pages are alright, which is, unfortunately, not always the case....) A nice bonus is that the new approach places an even lower workload on the wiki servers when fetching the latest update.

2007-Oct-06

The development of the 1.1.0 release goes on. Today I finished the last major parts of the programming. Tomorrow I will continue with some changes to the online functions, like the Wiki calls and the online update check There is still a lot of "small stuff" to finish, but I think the release is drawing near!

2007-Sep-28

I started to translate some topics for an English FAQ. I just covered some general points, as there haven't been many questions from the English community yet, so there aren't any FAQs either.

2007-Sep-25

Good news for all English-speaking Team Builder users! For a long time, the only place for feedback and questions was a forum thread on a German fansite. Starting today, this web site has its own forum, with an International (English) District. If you always wanted to ask or tell something TB-related, this is the place to go!

2007-Sep-24

For the last days I've been working on expanding the skill database with Eye of the North skills, and the PvE skills of all previous chapters. Yes, you read that right - PvE skills are making their way into the GW Team Builder! I also used the occasion to completely rebuild the skill icon set for a more polished and consistent look.

As some strange things have been going on in the unofficial GuildWiki recently (see the community discussion here), I've also decided to move to the official Wiki for skill data and english descriptions. I had considered this step for quite a while (for technical reasons), and this looks like the right moment to finally switch. This also means that the Team Builder will link to the official Wiki in the future (when using "Edit skill data online").

2007-Sep-16

Starting today, the development roadmap is also available in English! Head over to see what's planned for the next releases, and what will be put in which version. There's no fixed date for the next release yet - I'll tell you as soon as I know.

2007-Sep-14

On the left of each page, there are now icons for easy bookmarking on pages like del.icio.us, Digg or Google Bookmarks.

2007-Sep-12

Fixed an error in the live server stats that kept them from updating properly. Now everything looks and works as it should.

2007-Sep-10

2007-Sep-10

The GW Team Builder web page is relaunched in a new design and with an improved structure! In the past, the English news were only updated sparingly, and often only fleshed out in the German pages. In the future, I'll try to update both news more frequently.